Rahul Dravid in the book titled “Rahul Dravid: Timeless
steel” says, we could both sense that
we had done something unique, something
that would define our careers from then on, irrespective of what we achieved or
didn't achieve after that. Indeed, they did something which can never be
forgotten.

Australian team arrived in Kolkata riding high on 16
consecutive test matches victories. Indian team was up against a mighty
opposition again, having lost the first test match in Mumbai within 3 days. 2nd
test match also going the same way, even worse as India were following on after
being bowled out for 171 against 445. There was no hope, only a miracle could
rescue India. And miracle did come in the form of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman
who stood firm against all odds. They batted whole day taking India from 254/4
at the start of day 4 to 589/4 at the end of day 4 adding 335 runs without
losing a wicket with Laxman unbeaten on 275 and Dravid on 155. India declared
on 657/7 midway in morning session on fifth day. Indian fans started to sense
something. Victory was not easy from here on too but they knew that they had
surely averted the defeat. Australia were none for 12 at lunch and 161 for 3 at
tea. India needed 7 wickets in last session. Thanks to Sachin and Harbhajan’s
great bowling that Australia were bowled out for 212. India won the match by
171 runs.

It was a great team victory. This win provided a self-belief
that no team is unbeatable if everyone stood up to their task. Prior to that,
there were individual brilliances but mostly as a team we ended up losing.

The second event came a year later at Lord’s when India was asked
to chase a mighty total of 326 against home team at the mecca of cricket. England
captain Nasser Hussain and Opener Marcus Trescothick scored centuries. India
started well reaching 100 under 15th over without losing a wicket. Ganguly
and Sehwag took advantage of power play and toyed the English bowlers. But some
poor shot selection found them wobbling at 146/5 losing five wickets in just 40
runs. And because of flurry of wickets in no time, asking run rate was also
going up. In came two young lads Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif and played the match
of their lives taking India home. Need to mention here that Kaif debuted in the
same year in January and it would have taken a lot to remain calm and to take calculated
risk in this undisclosed territory he was in. I still remember the overthrow which
sealed the win for India with 3 balls to spare. It was India’s one of the greatest
ODI victory.

What happened after that at Lord’s balcony was a statement
by Ganguly, and it infused aggression into young Indian side. I do not think
anyone would have had audacity to take off his shirt and swirl at Lord’s balcony. This
win also made Indian fans believe that there is world beyond Sachin, Ganguly and
Dravid. Coincidentally Ganguly was the captain in both the occasions at Eden
Gardens and at Lord’s.

Nasser Hussain at SAP Labs leadership talk in 2011 in
Bangalore said, “Indian team used to get bullied
by class fifth students whenever they used to tour England”. It was Sourav
Ganguly who changed that. He infused passion, aggression and new energy in
Indian team. World started looking at Indian team differently not just from
within 22 yards but beyond it. It indeed was Ganguly who built the new team and
provided them a platform to express themselves.

In this series, I think inception of IPL in 2008 changed the
game. BCCI started getting more money, youngsters from all over India started to
dream to play with best of the best in the world and learn from them. Many purists
would argue that IPL ruined the real cricket and they may well be right but I
think it changed the cricket in India for good. Good facilities started
reaching to remote places. It became the game for masses now which was only for
select few big metropolitans before 2008. Now you can see players from all over
India playing IPL and getting noticed. It united India in a way. It also gave a
good quality life to cricketers. You play well for 2 months and then you can
enjoy the whole year. Most players still aspire to represent India but if they
don’t make it to the highest level they can still feel satisfied and lead a
good life.

No one would have imagined that the entire tournament can be
shifted to a different country because of general election in India in 2009. South
Africa hosted 2009 edition of IPL which was won by the then Deccan Chargers
Hyderabad. Game changed dramatically after the advent of IPL. Players attitude
changed too. Now the match is not over till the last ball is bowled or last run
is scored.

I remember Harsha Bhogle in one of the Ted Talk mentioning
that Dwayne bravo was called in to play
one match for Mumbai Indian against Deccan Chargers Hyderabad in Hyderabad and
then use Private corporate jet to send him back to represent West Indies. Never
would we have imagined that we will get a player for one match all the way from
Jamaica and send him back via private jet. We have arrived somewhere.

In my opinion, these are three events that largely changed
Indian cricket. India was destined to be no 1 test team after the hard work put
in by Ganguly in shaping the team. 2011 world cup victory was also the result
of the preparation done in last decade under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly. But I would concede that 2011 world cup victory was the most special moment for the Indian team and the fans.

I hope to see India reaching new heights in world cricket
and bring more joys to everyone’s life.

Sunday, November 19, 2017

In this age of rapid technological advancement and cut-throat
competition there is no time for looking back. Everyone wants to outrace others
in this never-ending race.

In our personal and professional life, we are largely driven
by logic. We want to appear the most logical in front of our peers and
sometimes that is a very dangerous thing. We want to assimilate everything in
that tiny logic of ours. If the logic doesn’t fit into our scheme of things we
start feeling stressed. However, if we work together towards a common goal and
help each other in that process, we not only achieve it but also have fun doing
it.

Not everyone is same. Some people are talented, some are
hardworking, some are technically sound and some are not so good also and they
just need a little push to get going. If we take everyone along, things get
done easily.

Logic is important too otherwise there will not be any set
standards and there will be chaos all over. If logic separates us, compassion
brings us together. If compassion shows a blurry path, logic gives a decisive
direction. Logic makes you arrogant, compassion makes you empathetic. It is
easy to get bogged down when you fail but it is hard to stand up again if there
is no support.

So, let us be little more compassionate towards
each other in our professional and personal life. We can make this world more
beautiful.

Sunday, November 5, 2017

Generally, I web check in advance to get a seat of my
preference in a long flight but this time I forgot to web check-in and was
sandwiched between two passengers on my flight from Delhi to Toronto.

As my connecting flight took off from Amsterdam to Toronto,
I started chatting with an elderly gentleman sitting to my left to stay awake and
to avoid jet lag as I had to be in the office next day.

The conversation grew from general to more specific. He was
so attentive whenever I spoke, occasionally composing emails in between. We
spoke about variety of topics including how US is different in Trump era, how India
is changing in 21st century, harsh winters in Canada, Niagara Falls,
The Taj Mahal, how some countries are averse to English and which is the best
country to live in right now. We settled in for our home countries to be the best
in the world and why wouldn’t it be as India is the most beautiful country and
Belgium sells best waffles and chocolates.

We joked about how India is different from entire Europe put
together as in India everything changes in about 200 KMs from food to language to custom
to dressing sense.

When it was time for the meal, I even asked him to opt for
Indian meal and told him the benefit of serving yogurt in Indian meals as we
eat spicy food and it helps digest the food faster.

After a long flight of 11 hours which took more than the
expected, when it was time to say good bye I asked him for his email and
instead he game me his business card which read ‘Patrick Gerard, CEO, Rompa
Group’.

I was amazed to see how a CEO of more than 100 years old
company is flying in economy and talks like a simple man, is always
eager to know more and to learn something new.

I understood a couple of things after that conversation that
as you go up in the ladder, more than anything else it is your humility that
matters the most and listening matters more than talking. He gave me lessons
that always speak with humility, spend wisely and help others in need.

Sunday, April 2, 2017

Whenever there is a match between Rafael Nadal and Roger
Federer, GOAT debate starts making headlines and it is no different this time
when they meet for the 37th time for Miami title on Sunday. Rivalry
started back in 2004 in the very same venue when 37th ranked
teenager from Mallorca defeated the then no 1 player in straight sets to
announce his arrival in the biggest stage. Since then rivalry has just gone
bigger and better with each meeting. Tennis
being a tough sports and to remain at the top of the game for such a long time
is itself an incredible achievement. Nadal played his 1000th ATP
match against Philipp Kohlschreiber which did not start the way his fans would
have wanted. He was fed bagel in the opening set and then fought his way back
to win the match like he always does. This is the only set he lost so far in
the tournament so he must be feeling good before coming to the final. But for
Roger it wasn’t an easy road to reach yet another Miami final as he had to save
couple of match points against Tomas Berdych and then was pushed to limit
against flashy Australian Nick Krygios in three sets tie break battle which lasted
for 3 hours.

Nothing gives us more joy than watching Nadal Federer Final.
Nadal will do everything possible to win the title here to add one of the few master
trophies which is missing in his shelf, other being WTF and BNP Paribas Paris
title. Nadal holds 23-13 in head to head count but he has been in receiving end
in last 3 meetings so that may start playing in his head. If he passes through
this hurdle, he will feel home as clay season is starting after this
tournament.

Thursday, June 16, 2016

When you do not know something, your opinion then is driven
by your ego. This is what our tour guide told us when we were going to Chichen
Itza from Cancun in the tour bus. And this is very true.

Before visiting Mexico I had different opinion about the
country but after staying there for 6 months I got to see different Mexico.
Mexico is not about drug cartels, theft, kidnapping it is about beautiful
beaches, ruins, old civilization, its lovely people and of course tequila.

In our first trip we were scared to venture out alone after
6 PM in evening as local people instilled fear in us that it is not safe. But
that is not true. If you go out and do not try to be mischievous you are safe. Rare
incidents keep happening everywhere around the world but we cannot treat that
as a phenomenon.

I too was scared to go all the way to Cancun on my own in
first thought but then I thought this is the best opportunity to remove the
fear, going alone in a country which doesn’t speak my language, doesn’t eat my type
of food and having no one by my side if I get into some trouble. At least my
one fear is gone after going to Cancun that I can manage myself anywhere in any
situation. You should also try to do that if you get any opportunity like that.
But the only disadvantage of going alone is that you don’t get good photos. :D

I was there in Cancun for 3 nights, I thought 2 days will be
sufficient but after reaching there, I found there are so many things to do and
many places to visit. One needs at least 5 days to cover all the places. I
could only manage to see Cancun City, Playa Del Carmen beach, Conzumel island and
Chichen Itza (one of the seven wonder of the world). I would have loved to go
to Tumul and Xel-Ha beaches and party at Cocobongo. It was a shame that I went
in rainy season. It was raining almost all the time since I landed in Cancun so
couldn’t walk and see much which I would have loved to do.

There are some photos I clicked while I was in Mexico in particular order

Coming back from Cancun to Toluca (City where I was put up)

On the way to Chichen Itza

Mexican Folk Dance

Good to go in cold water after humid day, coming back from Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza - Structure is not as great but history is very powerful

On cruise from Playa Del Carmen to Conzumel

At Conzumel

Playa Del Carmen

Playa Del Carmen

On Cruise

They stamp the sweets on the table, you can choose from here whatever dessert you want